Houdini

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit the major-label debut from the sludge-metal pioneers, an album that marked their transition from rockers to experimentalists.

To essay a concise, surefooted summation of the Melvins' catalog would be reductive at best, and laughable at worst.